Oh, the difference 11 months can make.
This past December, Carson Hinzman, then Ohio State’s starting center, was benched ahead of the Cotton Bowl in favor of right guard Matt Jones, who slid in to take his spot as Enokk Vimahi plugged in at Jones’ former position. The Buckeyes’ offensive line proceeded to put on perhaps its worst performance in recent memory during a 14-3 loss to Missouri.
That’s ancient history at this point. Recency bias trumps all in the hearts and minds of fans, and most recently, Hinzman swapped in at left guard to help save an offensive line that seemed to be on a downward spiral due to injury and is growing his confidence for the stretch run of the season.
“Just trusting God’s process,” Hinzman said. “I definitely did not have left guard in my mind coming into this year or last year. But just trusting the plan, trusting that I'm going to do everything I can for this team. My brothers (are playing well), I’m not gonna be petty in any way. So, just giving all I can no matter what position I play.”
Hinzman proved his stated lack of pettiness by not entering the transfer portal in the offseason, even as Ohio State brought in Seth McLaughlin to replace him at center following a season in which he was the Buckeyes’ lowest-graded offensive lineman of their regular starting five on Pro Football Focus. He had a run-blocking grade of 54.8 and a pass-blocking mark of 42.4, allowing a team-high 17 pressures.
Despite those struggles, Hinzman maneuvered himself into the thick of Ohio State’s right guard competition entering his third year of college football this season, though Tegra Tshabola won the job in preseason camp as Hinzman missed a few weeks due to illness. The Buckeyes booted him back inside to center in the meantime, and he took the opportunity to learn from the veteran McLaughlin.
“Seth is really great at just being relaxed in situations, but he's also playing incredibly physical,” Hinzman said. “I think the way he's brought physicality to the whole line has been immense. I think his mindset and his knowledge of football, in general, has been huge. Obviously, as a younger guy, you're kind of holding on to like, I know this play, but now you understand why we're doing this and why the defense looks this kind of way.”
Ryan Day said it was important for Hinzman to learn some resiliency from McLaughlin, too. The former Alabama center became the subject of national scorn after some botched snaps in the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2023 but has bounced back to become one of the best centers in the country.
“I think there's a lot you can learn there about not just the position and the technical parts of playing the game, but also just the preparation, the practice habits, how to handle certain situations, being resilient,” Day said. “Persevering through good times, bad times, working through issues. When you're with the offensive line, sometimes you're going to get into a game and see things that maybe hadn't shown up in practice or the week before. And so navigating through all that is part of it as well.”
Hinzman’s perseverance was tested on a balmy afternoon in State College, Pennsylvania, 12 days ago.
Josh Simmons, Ohio State’s starting left tackle, had suffered a season-ending injury two weeks prior at Oregon. The Buckeyes stuck Zen Michalski in his place and the offensive line struggled against Nebraska the following week, with the team managing a meager 2.1 yards per carry running the football as Michalski himself went down with an injury.
Ohio State slid left guard Donovan Jackson out to left tackle and bumped Hinzman back out from center to left guard following a strong week of practice. But that makeshift line was staring down the challenge of one of the best defensive fronts in the country in one of the nation's most hostile environments at then-No. 3 Penn State.
The offensive line’s unexpected triumph against the Nittany Lions is well-documented, exemplified by a final drive where the Buckeyes ran the football 10 straight times to pick up four first downs, kill the final 5:13 of game time and secure a 20-13 victory. Ohio State went 4-for-4 converting 3rd-and-4 or less, and all four conversions came running the football.
Despite a record 111,030 fans in Beaver Stadium deafening most of Ohio State's downs with noise, there were no penalties called on the Buckeyes' offensive linemen. Hinzman, Jackson, McLaughlin and right tackle Josh Fryar were all named the Buckeyes' Offensive Players of the Game.
“I think that just comes from that next man up mentality,” Hinzman said of what made him ready for the stage. “Obviously understanding the offense. That kind of falls on the guys around me and obviously coaches keeping us ready wherever we need to be. Then also being an interior guy, you can kind of understand a little bit more. You can kind of move around because you work with those guys directly a lot.”
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— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 3, 2024
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Hinzman’s background playing center helped with his transition to guard, he stated, as the former position emphasizes communication, knowing how to call out protections and knowing the offense as a whole. Still, there was an adjustment to be made.
“You’re kind of going from a phone booth to, like, a shed,” Hinzman said. “You got to get a little used to being on your own a little more, which I mean, I'm still figuring it out. But definitely something that (I’ll) keep on developing into this later half of the season.”
“You’re kind of going from a phone booth to, like, a shed.”– Carson Hinzman on the transition from center to guard
Jackson playing at left tackle also meant that Hinzman had the same man to his left that he had a year ago, plus a pair of seniors to each of his flanks in Jackson and McLaughlin.
“Our chemistry is really good, whether it's with trusting each other's calls or asking him if I'm not exactly sure like what I should do on this set or with my hands in this play,” Hinzman said of Jackson. “He's super knowledgeable in that fact even though he's learning a new spot, he's definitely helping me out a lot.”
Hinzman said that “every snap, every rep” counts in terms of his experience since he’s played left guard for less than three weeks. Ohio State’s most recent 45-0 win over Purdue provided him with plenty, especially against a defense eager to play three interior defensive linemen and load the box against the Buckeyes’ rushing attack.
Despite those countermeasures, Ohio State picked up 173 rushing yards at a respectable clip of 4.9 yards per carry against the Boilermakers. The Buckeyes allowed just one sack despite 31 passing attempts in another strong building-block outing for Hinzman and company. Across his first two career starts at left guard, Hinzman received run-blocking grades of 63 and 67.7 with pass-blocking marks of 71.1 and 62.7 from PFF.
“He was solid,” Day said of his performance against Purdue. “I felt like he's taking the next step at guard playing against a front where it was a lot of what we call a bear front, which is five down, a lot of one-on-one blocks there. So you've got to sustain your block a little bit longer. But overall, I felt like he was solid. I felt like he took the next step in the progression of playing guard as a starter.”
The left guard suffered a brief injury scare in the second quarter against the Boilermakers but re-entered the game in the second half.
“Donovan is superhuman, so he was trying to dump guys everywhere," Hinzman said. "Unfortunately, one was right into my knee. So just hyperextended (it) a little bit, but obviously, thank God I was wearing a knee brace right there. Obviously could have been a lot worse watching the film, but definitely was saved.”
God is Good!! And so are Donjoy knee braces
— Carson Hinzman (@HinzmanCarson) November 9, 2024
Hinzman has matured and developed a lot over the past 11 months and his now three-year Ohio State career in general. If he can continue his growth process as the weeks roll on, it will put the Buckeyes’ offensive line in prime position.
“I think coming in as a freshman, you experience life like trying to sip out of a fire hose,” Hinzman said. “It's kind of hard trying to take it all in. Having those anxieties and stuff, it takes experience. And as much as you hate to say that, as a younger guy, you're like, man, I want to be there right now. Obviously, it takes time. And just like being able to be more relaxed in those situations and seeing looks and being like, ‘OK, I've been here before. I know what I'm doing because I've done this before.’”
